Erling Haaland has committed the majority of his career to Manchester City by signing an unprecedented new 9½-year contract with the Premier League champions.

The Norway striker’s existing deal was due to expire in June 2027 but City have taken the extraordinary step of tying the 24-year-old to the Etihad Stadium for almost the next decade.

It means Haaland will be approaching his 34th birthday by the time the contract ends.

“I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great club,” he said.

“Manchester City is a special club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.

“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my team-mates and everyone at the club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.

“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”

The numbers involved in the contract have yet to be disclosed but it is understood to be one of the most lucrative sports contracts in history.

The release clauses included in his previous deal are also thought to have been removed.

Real Madrid – who missed out on Haaland when he joined City in a £51 million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 and went on to win the Treble during a stunning debut campaign when he scored 52 goals – have long coveted the striker.

But this new deal effectively ends any lingering uncertainty over Haaland’s future at City and reaffirms the bond between the player and the club Alfie, his father, also represented.

Credit: Manchester City

City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Everyone at the club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.

“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves.

“But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.

“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.

“Now he can focus on his game and continuing to play a huge part in helping us try to achieve even more success.”

Haaland has scored 111 goals in just 126 appearances for City and the timing of the news is a huge development given the team’s troubles on the pitch this term.

City have won just three league matches since late October and are currently sixth in the table, three points off the final Champions League position. They are also facing a battle to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages with the team 22nd in the 36 team league table.

They face Paris St-Germain in the French capital on Wednesday before playing their final league group game against Bruges a week later.

Haaland’s decision to stay is the second big contract development in recent months after manager Pep Guardiola opt to extend his deal until June 2027 in November.

It is also significant that two of City’s key figures have also committed their futures at a time when the club is still awaiting the outcome of the Premier League’s 115 charges legal case against them. A verdict is anticipated in the next couple of months.

City have already taken significant steps to refresh the squad this month as part of a rebuilding process. They have agreed an initial £50.5 million deal with Eintracht Frankfurt for the Egypt striker Omar Marmoush. City are also bringing in two more defenders having agreed a £33.6 million deal with Lens for the Uzbekistan centre-half Abdukodir Khusanov and are also closing in on a £29.4 million deal with Palmeiras for their highly-rated 19-year-old centre-back Vitor Reis. Club captain Kyle Walker told City he wanted to leave last week with AC Milan hoping to sign the England defender.